County sees $400M invested

Rensselaer County executive urges relief from state mandates

Updated 7:01 am, Friday, January 11, 2013

Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino gives her annual State of the County address, Jan. 10, 2013, during the County Executive's Breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino gives her annual State of...

Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino gives her annual State of the County address Jan. 10, 2013, during the County Executive's Breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn in Troy, N.Y. (Skip Dickstein/Times Union)

Jimino outlined how the state's unfunded mandates increase the local county tax burden while diminishing its ability to provide services to attract new enterprises. The county is also forced to scrimp on infrastructure valued by businesses.

Even though the state transfers expenses to local government, Jimino said the county has worked to make its communities attractive for investment.

Troy Mayor Lou Rosamilia said many businesses have opened in the city in the past year. The city has reached a stage where downtown is drawing investment. The redevelopment of 1 Monument Square, the former site of city hall, will stoke more gains, he told the group.

Newly elected state Sen. Kathleen Marchione, R-Halfmoon, said she has promised to take on unfunded mandates and their burden on local government.

Jimino, who is expected to seek re-election in November, said the county has reduced spending during her 11 years in office.

While the county has found innovative ways to cut costs through streamlining services and establishing partnerships, she said the state must accept greater responsibility instead of pushing expenses down to the counties.

"This is obviously a way of doing business that might be good for the state as a government but not for the people who live in the state," Jimino said. "It is all too obvious that by making mandated payments to the state for their programs, as local government we are more and more vulnerable in our capacity to afford to fund the very local services that add enticements for new business endeavors."